what is the 20th amendment in simple terms

Two presidents in the history of the 20th Amendment knew this pain all too well: Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. He remains the only president to serve for more than two terms. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission. The amendment established congressional terms to begin before presidential terms and that the incoming Congress, rather than the outgoing one, would hold a contingent election if the Electoral College deadlocked regarding either the presidential or vice presidential elections. In 1916, during World War I, President Woodrow Wilson devised an unorthodox plan to avoid a lame-duck presidency and allow his Republican opponent Charles Evans Hughes to assume presidential powers immediately if Hughes had won the election. The effects of the 20th Amendment were welcome and positive. For Lincoln, it was the secession of the Southern states, and for Roosevelt, the Great Depression. The Twentieth Amendment was passed in 1933. [6] The bill he wrote applied to both houses of Congress, the offices of President and Vice-President. In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt was the first president to be inaugurated or start a term in January. The 72nd Congress proposed the Twentieth Amendment on March 2, 1932, and the amendment was ratified by the following states. 2nd Amendment. The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin. 20th Amendment Presidential Term and Succession, Assembly of Congress. For Congress, the situation was perhaps even more awkward. Special sessions sometimes met earlier in the year, but this never became a regular practice, despite the Constitution allowing for it. The default date specified is the first Monday in December, though Congress is empowered to set another date and the president can summon special sessions. The 20th Amendment is part of 27 included in the US Constitution that protects the rights of Americans. Corrections? Contents What does the 20th amendment cover? Also be sure to note how many amendments the Constitution has. Even worse, having a simultaneous lame duck Congress and presidential administration meant that, if a national crisis arose, the country was unprepared to respond in a timely fashion. 19 related questions found What is the 20th Amendment quizlet? The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified on January 23, 1933, shortened the timeframe between a presidentandvice presidentbeingelectedand taking office. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission. Section 4. The 20th amendment is a simple amendment that sets the dates at which federal (United States) government elected offices end. The Twentieth Amendment sought to alleviate these problems by altering the timeframes of the executive and legislative branches ahead of inauguration day. Problems often arise when a lame duck is in office. The individual whom Congress chooses to act as president or vice president is to do so until the next true president or vice president is elected. Originally, federal officials took their seats on March 4 (the date coinciding with the governments commencement of proceedings in 1789), four months after election day, and per Article I, section 4, members of Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day; this meant that it would be 13 months before a new Congress met, and there would be a necessary session of Congress following the November elections. Now that you're seven, the rule about bedtime might be changed so that you can stay up until 8 o'clock. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Example: According to the Twentieth Amendment, the president and vice president have to be inaugurated on January 20. The lame duck session requirement was also abolished. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, [pod_component pod_component_config_id="BB1w9H6DA" pod_component_config_url="https://www.thesun.co.uk/nu-sun-pod-component-config-prod/BB1w9H6DA.json" pod_component_config_loader_url="https://www.thesun.co.uk/nu-sun-pod-loaders-prod/1.72.0/componentLoader.js?85621" src="https%3A%2F%2Fiframe.thesun.co.uk%2Fnu-sun-pod-widgets-prod%2Fiframe-pod.html%3Fid%3DBB1w9H6DA%26script%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fnu-sun-pod-loaders-prod%2F1.72.0%2FcomponentLoader.js%3F85621%26config%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesun.co.uk%2Fnu-sun-pod-component-config-prod%2FBB1w9H6DA.json"], The 20th Amendment was officially adopted on January 23, 1933, The 20th Amendment moved the beginning and ending of the terms of the president and vice president in the United States. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. In also defines who succeeds the president if the president dies. The 20th Amendment changed a portion of Article I, Section 4, and a portion of the 12th Amendment. The Twentieth Amendment is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that sets the inauguration date for new presidential terms and the date for new sessions of Congress. The bill originally specified a thirty-day period for the states to choose their electors. Section 1. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. What is the 20th Amendment known as? - LegalKnowledgeBase.com PDF Summary of Changes Under the Proposed 20th Amendment [9] The new date reduced the period between election day in November and Inauguration Day, the presidential transition, by about six weeks. Sixteenth Amendment | Definition, Summary, & Facts | Britannica "The Contemporary Presidency: The Presidential 'Hundred Days': An Overview." The Constitution: Amendments 11-27 | National Archives Section 1. v. Varsity Brands, Inc. The Twentieth Amendment is called the Lame Duck Amendment, although it has nothing to do with an animal. Section 6This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission. If at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President-elect shall have died, the Vice President-elect shall become President. Also named were former Vice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. [4] Congressional elections were generally held on the same day. The Amendments | Constitution Center The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified. 25th Amendment - Presidential Disability and Succession | Constitution 20th Amendment - Annenberg Classroom If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accord-ingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified. The 12th Amendment is the section of the Constitution that deals with the elections of both the President and the Vice President of the United States. The only way this can be changed is if a law is passed allowing them to hold Congress on a different day. The Twentieth Amendment was adopted on January 23, 1933.[1]. Your email address will not be published. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures. It also moved the beginning of the terms of members of Congress from March 4 to January 3. Thetwentiethamendment to the Constitution was proposed to the legislatures of the several states by theSeventy-SecondCongress, on the 2d day of March, 1932, and was declared, in a proclamation by the Secretary of State, dated on the 6th day of February, 1933, to have been ratified by the legislatures of 36 of the 48 States. Roosevelt and Garner were the first President and Vice President to be elected after the adoption of the new Amendment. March 7, 2020 Off By idswater What does the 20th amendment say in simple terms? 20th Amendment - Presidential Term and Succession, Assembly of Congress [14][17], On February 15, 1933, 23 days after the amendment was adopted, President-elect Roosevelt was the target of an assassination attempt by Giuseppe Zangara. January 23, 1933 What is the 20th Amendment The Constitution's 20th Amendment effectively moved the beginning and ending of the terms of the president and vice president from March 4 to January 20, and the terms of members of Congress from March 4 to January 3. [3] Traveling by horseback or by carriage on crude roads in the US could take even longer. terms of sub-paragraphs (d) and (e) above shall be nominated in such manner as would ensure that the nominees would belong to communities which are communities other than those to which the . It states that if the president-elect dies before taking office on January 20, the vice president becomes president. The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin. The Twentieth Amendment (Amendment XX) to the United States Constitution moved the beginning and ending of the terms of the President and Vice President from March 4 to January 20, and of members of Congress from March 4 to January 3.